Color scheme exhibitor



April 25, 1939. A.M. BARRETT ETAL 155,924

I COLOR SCHEME EXHIBITOR I Filed June 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 25,'1939- A. M.l B-ARRETT ET AL 2,155,924#

COLOR SCHEME EXHIBITOR Filed June 4, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 llz Patented Apr. 2s, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE coma SCHEME EXHIBITOR Arthur M. Barrett, Winnetka, Archibald L. Macnair, Evanston, and Elmer W. Ericson, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The Barrett Bindery Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application lJune 4, 1936, Serial No. 83,464

9Claims.

This invention relates to a class-of devices used to some extent by stores selling house and oice furnishings to display color schemes and aid decorators and purchasers in making selections of room furniture, decorations, fittings and other furnishings that will present a harmonious and pleasing effect in point of color combinations. The general object of the invention is to provide a device of this character of large capacity for exhibiting different color schemes and capable of being easily and quickly manipulated to display different color combinations. Other objects are, to provide a readily portable color scheme exhibitor of a general easel type that may be used on a table or counter, to provide an improved means of the loose leaf binder type for hingedly mounting variously colored cards and transparent picture exhibiting sheets on the frame or panel of the device, so that such cards or sheets will be supported against sagging, and to provide an improved means for exhibiting various color eects of hangings, such as window shades and drapes, door curtains and the like in association withthe exhibition of various color effects of walls, ceiling and furniture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with the use of color scheme exhibitors of this type from the following detailed description of an approved embodiment of the invention, which we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a front elevation, showing the color cards and Yfloor covering platform unfolded, and the transparent picture sheet folded in -full lines and unfolded in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a similar -view 'of a part of Fig. l, showing one of the narrow color cards and the manner of mounting on the binder rings.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, showing the back strut partly folded to change the angle of inclination of the device.

Fig. 5 is a group view of a plurality of the narrow color cards.

Fig.V 6 is a view of the three groups of ceiling, wall and furniture color cards respectively, turned to expose to view their variously colored sides, all but the bottom card of each group being broken 0E to expose a portion of an underlying card.

Referring to the drawings, a suitable support for the movable parts of the device may consist of a. at panel I0 which preferably consists of 55 sheet metal having a cloth or leather covering,

although a heavy cardA or fiber board may be used. To the rear side of panel lll is hinged at I l a back strut l2, and in our preferred construction the lower ends of the panel and back strut are connected by a f oldable base board consisting of two halves i3 hinged to each other at Hl, one of the halves being hinged to the panel at I5 and the other to the back strut at I6. This form of back strut enables the panel to be posed at various degrees of inclination, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to suit the eye level of the r observer. and/or the height of the table or counter on which the device stands.

Mounted on the panel Ill are two parallel upright rows of loose leaf binder rings or arches 22 of the common and well known hinged type that permits the rings or arches to be swung open for the application and removal of cards and sheetsfand then closed to lock the cards and sheets on the panel.

Hinged on one row of the rings 22 (the left as shown in Fig. l) are three groups or bunches 32, 33 and 3i of sheets preferably inthe form of color cards or chips (as they are commonly designated by manufacturers and users of color exhibitors of this type), the cards having in .one edge portion ,thereof slots 35 through which the free legs of the rings or arches extend. In the opposite edge of the cards are preferably cut open end slots or notches 36, which, when the cards are swung inwardly to operative position, straddle the adjacent legs of the other row of arches, so that the cards are supported at both edges and cannot sag as they might if supported at their hinged edge only. The upper edges of these slots or notches 36 form in effect shoulders on the free edges of the cards that rest on the binder rings when the cards are in inwardly folded position. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the several cards of each groupare variously colored on corresponding sides thereof, so that, when folded inwardly, the topmost card in each group displays its colored side. The reverse side is preferably solid black, as is also the panel l0, so as not to influence the color eect of the parts carrying color. It will be observed that the slots 35 extend in the planes of the arches, so that the cards are very easily swung or turned on the arches between their idle position shown in Fig. 1 and their operative position wherein they overlie the panel I0. It will also be observed that, in the structure illustrated, the slot or slots 35v in in the upper half of each card is or are offset endwise relatively to the slot or slots in the lower half of each card. By reason of this feature.

sagging of the card in both its open and folded position is prevented through engagement of the legs with opposite ends of the upper and lower slots or upper-and lower groups of slots, as clearly shown at the left of Fig. 1, and consequently the open end slots 3l may be omitted, if desired, where the offset slots 35 are used; but preferably the slots 35 are retained to obviate the effects of wear and/or slight imperfections in the cutting of the slots 35.

Hinged on the other row of the rings 22 is a transparent sheet 3l of Celluloid, glass, or the like, said sheet also having hinge slots 38 in its hinged edge and, preferably, open end slots or notches 39 in its free edge, the latter preventing sagging of the sheet on its hinges when in operative position. Manifestly, where some or all of the slots 38 in the upper and lower halves of the sheet are relatively offset endwise, as shown in Fig. 1, the open end slots 39 may be omitted. Printed, painted, or otherwise delineated on the sheet 31 is a black border frame 4 I, within which are representations or outline pictures of various parts and furnishings of a room. In the instance shown a straight transverse line or band 42 marks the division or joint between a ceiling area 43 and a wall area 44. Part of a door frame is delineated at 45, a curtain therefor at 46, a sofa at.41, and a wall picture at 48. These are, of course, merely typical representations or outline pictures of some of the furnishings of a living room. In practice the device will be furnished with a number of transparent picture sheets such as that above described to provide outline or skeleton representations of other rooms and their main equipments, such as a dining room, a kitchen, a bed room, an ofce, etc., which may ble interchangeably used as required, according to the kind of room a customer wishes to decorate and furnish. A

To exhibit various colors of comparatively narrow articles at one side of the room, such as the curtains or drapes 45, full Width color cards or chips are not practical,` since they would obscure most of the wall space 44. Hence, for this y purpose we include as part of the equipment of the device a group of independent narrow color cards or' "chips 59 that are differently colored, as shown in Fig. 5. For conveniently applying these cards 59 to, and removing them from, the rings 22 they are formed in one longitudinal edge with bayonet slots 6l. The manner lin which they engage the rings 22 so as to underlie the curtain representation 46 in the instance shown, is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. Preferably these cards 59 bear the same color on both sides, so that they can be used as both rights and lefts.l

The manner of using the device is probably obvious from. the foregoing description of its structural features, but may be brieiiy outlined as follows; The device is set on a table or counter,

.and the rear back strut i2 is adjusted to place the panel at a suitable angle for favorable observation by the customer. The transparent picture sheet 31 is swung outwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l. Certain full width color cards 32, 33 and 34 are then folded inwardly to display selected colors for ceiling and wall decorations and furniture such, for example, as green, gold andbrown respectively (Fig. 2), and one of the narrow cards 59 is yhung on the loops 22 to underlie the curtain or drape representation 46. The picture sheet 3l is then folded inwardly to overlie the selected color cards and produce the effect of a room decorated and furnished in the selected colors.l

parent sheets 4l, depicting in outline the main features of different kind of rooms and room furnishings, may be inter-changeably usedi, and other colored cards 32, 33, 34 and 59 can be easily and quickly substituted, so that the potential color exhibiting range of the device is practically unlimited. This desirable result flows mainly from the employment of a loose leaf binder type of mounting for the color cards, a feature that, so far as we are aware, has never been used on a color scheme exhibitor. And by making the binder rings or arches of the relatively long and narrow type shown, the card holding capacity of the device is large. While we have illustrated and described the device as mainly usable for interior home decorations, largely Walls, floors. ceilings, drapes, etc., it is manifest that it can be applied to houses or any other combinations of objects, such as landscapes including trees, birds, buildings, etc.

Changes in the details of form, structure and arrangement from those herein shown and described may be resorted to within the principle of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a color scheme exhibitor of the type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support. and a plurality of superposed cards having corresponding surfaces thereof diiferently colored hinged at one edge on the rings of one row and each having on its opposite edge a shoulder adapted to rest on a ring of the other row when said cards are folded to lie between said rows.

2. In a color scheme exhibitor of the type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support, and a plurality of superposed cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged at one edge on the rings of one row and each having in its opposite edge a notch adapted to straddle a ring of the 'other row when said cards are folded to lie between said rows.

3. In a color scheme exhibitor of the type having an upright support, ,laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support. and a plurality of superposed cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged at one edge on the rings of one row and each having in its opposite edge a row of notches adapted to straddle opposed rings .of the other row when said cards are folded to lie between said rows.

4. In a color scheme exhibitorof the type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support, a plurality of cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged on the rings of one row, and a sheet of transparent material hinged on the rings of the other row and having in outline thereon the representation of an article of room furnishing, said sheet having on its free edge a shoulder adapted to rest on a ring of the other row when said sheet is folded to overlie said cards.

5. In a color scheme exhibitor of the type havlng an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support, a plurality of cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged on the rings of one row, and a sheet of transparent material hinged on the rings of the other row and having in outline thereon the representation of an article of room furnishing, said sheet having in its free edge a notch adapted to straddle a ring of the other row when said sheet is folded to overlie said cards.

6. In a color scheme exhibitor of the type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support, a plurality of cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged on the rings of one row, and a sheet of transparent material hinged on the rings of the other row and having in outline thereon the representation of an larticle of room furnishing, said sheethaving in its free edge a row of notches adapted to straddle opposed rings of the other row when said sheet is folded to overlle said cards.

7. In a color scheme exhibitor ofthe type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose-leaf binder rings mounted on said support, a bunch of superposed cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged on the rings of one row, a sheet of transparent material hinged on the rings of the other row and having in outline thereon the representation of an article of room furnishing, and a plurality of cards of' less width than said rst-namedy cards independently mountable on the'ringsof one of said rows in position to underlie the representation on said transparent sheet when the'latter is folded to lie between said rows of'rihgs.

8. In a color scheme exhibitor ofA vthe type having an upright support, laterally spaced rows of loose leaf binder rings mounted on said support, a bunch of superposed cards having corresponding surfaces thereof differently colored hinged on the rings of one row, a sheet of transparent material hinged on the rings of the other row and having in outline thereon the representation of an article of room furnishing,

and a plurality of cards of less width than said first-named cards, each of said plurality of cards having in a longitudinal edge thereof inclined slots all parallel and opening through said edge by which it may be removably mounted on the rings of one of said rows in position to underlie the representation on said transparent sheet when the latter is folded to lie between said rows of rings.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of an upright support, a pair of vhinge arches formed with substantially parallel 

